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They were caught on August 6 2013 and later pleaded guilty to drug smuggling, each receiving a jail term of six years and eight months.

The SPS gave their agreement in principle to a transfer last year and Reid has been awaiting approval from the Peruvian authorities, who need to consent to her serving the remainder of her sentence under Scots law.

The repatriation of McCollum to Northern Ireland was approved by Stormont's justice minister in January this year but, like Reid, she remains in jail in Lima for now.

The pair had previously been held at Virgen de Fatima prison but were later moved to the Ancon 2 jail, where conditions are said to be cramped, with poor sanitation and toilet facilities.

Smugglers : Michaella McCollum and Melissa Reid (right) sit in the defendants cage during their trail at Sarita Colonia prison in Callao, Lima. Reid could be in a Scottish prison within weeks while McCollum is hoping to be transferred to Ireland

A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said: 'We continue to provide consular assistance. For reasons of consular confidentiality we cannot go into further details.'

Reid's father Billy said recently that the impact of his daughter's crime on his family had been 'horrendous'.

He said: 'It's horrendous to see your daughter in handcuffs and the living conditions that she has to put up with. Melissa has spent her own 20th and 21st birthdays in prison in Peru.

'She missed the significant event of her only brother's wedding. Events such as Christmas are non-existent for us. There'll be no celebrations in our house, there'll be no Christmas tree until we get her back home.'

Mr Reid spoke out in a video warning of the consequences of drug offences abroad.

More than 700 British nationals were arrested for drug-related crimes in 2013-2014, according to the Foreign Office.